The church definitely aided in the progression of medicine; one way, was by building the first hospital, named Hotel Dieu, in Paris, France. It was one of the first hospitals for the ill, as there were hospitals before that, however, just for wounded soldiers. The nurses and doctors, who worked there, were nuns and monks. Another way that the church helped advancements in medicine was through universities. The monasteries and convents had libraries that preserved many books and some became centres for learning. Some then grew into universities and offered training in the ‘Arts’, which included the study of rhetoric, geometry, astronomy and music. At first, medical training was undertaken in addition to a study of the Arts and took a total of ten years to complete, so there were few doctors who trained in this way. A further way that the church had a positive role in medicine was by upholding Galen’s ideas. His ideas were scientific; however he said that the body was amazing and that all of the organs worked so well together, implying that god created a wonderful creature. The fact that the church acknowledged Galen’s ideas meant that the public, who were very influenced by the church, believed in Galen’s ideas.
